BACKGROUND: Skin reactions and pain are commonly reported side effects of radiation therapy (RT). OBJECTIVE: To characterize RT-induced symptoms according to treatment site subgroups and identify skin symptoms that correlate with pain. METHODS: A self-report survey-adapted from the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory and the McGill Pain Questionnaire--assessed RT-induced skin problems, pain, and specific skin symptoms. Wilcoxon Sign Ranked tests compared mean severity or pre- and post-RT pain and skin problems within each RT-site subgroup. Multiple linear regression (MLR) investigated associations between skin symptoms and pain. RESULTS: Survey respondents (N = 106) were 58% female and on average 64 years old. RT sites included lung, breast, lower abdomen, head/neck/brain, and upper abdomen. Only patients receiving breast RT reported significant increases in treatment site pain and skin problems (P < or = .007). Patients receiving head/neck/brain RT reported increased skin problems (P < .0009). MLR showed that post-RT skin tenderness and tightness were most strongly associated with post-RT pain (P = .066 and P = .122, respectively). LIMITATIONS: Small sample size, exploratory analyses, and nonvalidated measure. CONCLUSIONS: Only patients receiving breast RT reported significant increases in pain and skin problems at the RT site while patients receiving head/neck/brain RT had increased skin problems but not pain. These findings suggest that the severity of skin problems is not the only factor that contributes to pain and that interventions should be tailored to specifically target pain at the RT site, possibly by targeting tenderness and tightness. These findings should be confirmed in a larger sampling of RT patients.
BACKGROUND: Skin reactions and pain are commonly reported side effects of radiation therapy (RT). OBJECTIVE: To characterize RT-induced symptoms according to treatment site subgroups and identify skin symptoms that correlate with pain. METHODS: A self-report survey-adapted from the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory and the McGill Pain Questionnaire--assessed RT-induced skin problems, pain, and specific skin symptoms. Wilcoxon Sign Ranked tests compared mean severity or pre- and post-RT pain and skin problems within each RT-site subgroup. Multiple linear regression (MLR) investigated associations between skin symptoms and pain. RESULTS: Survey respondents (N = 106) were 58% female and on average 64 years old. RT sites included lung, breast, lower abdomen, head/neck/brain, and upper abdomen. Only patients receiving breast RT reported significant increases in treatment site pain and skin problems (P < or = .007). Patients receiving head/neck/brain RT reported increased skin problems (P < .0009). MLR showed that post-RT skin tenderness and tightness were most strongly associated with post-RT pain (P = .066 and P = .122, respectively). LIMITATIONS: Small sample size, exploratory analyses, and nonvalidated measure. CONCLUSIONS: Only patients receiving breast RT reported significant increases in pain and skin problems at the RT site while patients receiving head/neck/brain RT had increased skin problems but not pain. These findings suggest that the severity of skin problems is not the only factor that contributes to pain and that interventions should be tailored to specifically target pain at the RT site, possibly by targeting tenderness and tightness. These findings should be confirmed in a larger sampling of RT patients.
Authors: C Robertson; A G Robertson; J H Hendry; S A Roberts; N J Slevin; W B Duncan; R H MacDougall; G R Kerr; B O'Sullivan; T J Keane Journal: Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys Date: 1998-01-15 Impact factor: 7.038
Authors: David I Rosenthal; Tito R Mendoza; Mark S Chambers; Joshua A Asper; Ibrahima Gning; Merrill S Kies; Randal S Weber; Jan S Lewin; Adam S Garden; K Kian Ang; Xin S Wang; Charles S Cleeland Journal: Head Neck Date: 2007-10 Impact factor: 3.147
Authors: N Salvo; E Barnes; J van Draanen; E Stacey; G Mitera; D Breen; A Giotis; G Czarnota; J Pang; C De Angelis Journal: Curr Oncol Date: 2010-08 Impact factor: 3.677
Authors: M Schmuth; M A Wimmer; S Hofer; A Sztankay; G Weinlich; D M Linder; P M Elias; P O Fritsch; E Fritsch Journal: Br J Dermatol Date: 2002-06 Impact factor: 9.302
Authors: Julie Ryan Wolf; Jennifer S Gewandter; Javier Bautista; Charles E Heckler; Jon Strasser; Pawal Dyk; Thomas Anderson; Howard Gross; Tod Speer; Lindsey Dolohanty; Kevin Bylund; Alice P Pentland; Gary R Morrow Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2019-11-22 Impact factor: 3.603
Authors: Samuel Finkelstein; Lauren Kanee; Tara Behroozian; Julie Ryan Wolf; Corina van den Hurk; Edward Chow; Pierluigi Bonomo Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2022-01-24 Impact factor: 3.603